CHARITIES and community groups in Kidderminster have benefited from thousands of meals thanks to a supermarket scheme.

Kidderminster’s Tesco stores have provided more than 23,500 meals to organisations through the company’s Community Food Connection.

Groups that have benefited include homeless shelters, community centres, breakfast clubs and people delivering food to vulnerable older people.

The Community Food Connection programme is run in conjunction with FareShare and FoodCloud.

Good causes are able to link up with local stores, from small Express stores to big Tesco Extras, via an innovative app that allows store teams to alert them to surplus unsold food items available at the end of each day.

Not only does the scheme benefit the community groups involved, but it also prevents unsold food going to waste.

Tesco’s Head of Community Alec Brown said: “We know that Community Food Connection is making a real difference to communities in Kidderminster by providing people in need with meals from food that would otherwise go to waste.

“Now that all of our stores are taking part in Community Food Connection there are more opportunities than ever for groups to benefit from the free food provided under the scheme.

“I would invite any group that thinks they could benefit from the scheme to contact FareShare, as we have the capacity to help even more good causes.”

Tesco helped develop the nationwide scheme in partnership with food redistribution charity, FareShare using an app created by the small social enterprise FoodCloud.

Any charity or community groups that could benefit from the support of Community Food Connection, visit http://fareshare.org.uk/getting-food/fareshare-go-support/ to register.